In the arms of the angel
by steffy2106
Summary: An innocent demand starts a chain of events that bring Beth and Daryl closer together while something sinister and strange is stirring at the prison. All the characters will appear but please note this will be a Daryl/Beth (DETH) story.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hey guys!

This is my new Walking Dead Story, I sure hope you like it. Also I need to take a minute and thank _**KaptenKramp**_ who is the beta of this story. The work and insight she brought to this chapter rendered me speechless…. She is amazing and I am so grateful of what she is doing for me and my story.

Please read and review… I'd love to know what you think. DETH shippers united :D

**Steffy2106**

**Chapter 1: **

Beth was once more taking care of the Woodbury kids' under Carl's cold hawk like eyes.

Beth sighed. She felt like nothing more than a glorified nanny... If that.

"Why don't you come down for a while?" she asked Carl who was perched on top of the stairs. She could feel his eyes on her neck and she didn't like it. Beth just didn't like the young man he was becoming and she missed her friend.

"What for?" he asked coldly.

Beth shrugged. "I don't know, to chat and stuff. The kids are pretty good today," she added with a tentative smile.

"I'm not here to chat, I'm here to keep an eye on all your useless asses... You're all a waste of space if you want my opinion."

Beth's mouth fell open and her eyes widened in disbelief. His words stung, they'd hit a sore spot because even though she had been reluctant in admitting it to herself she did feel useless and like she was exactly that; _a waste of space_.

"Nobody asked ya for your opinion, boy."

Beth jumped at Daryl's gruff voice. It was amazing how this man seemed to be able to pop out of nowhere without anyone noticing.

Daryl threw Beth a look that seemed to say '_Are you okay?'_

She shrugged and looked to Max, a little blond boy with the head full of curls. She couldn't help but think that if she ever had a boy he would have had the same kind of hair.

"I just think I could do better than babysit the babysitter," replied Carl.

Daryl sighed, readjusting his crossbow. "Yeah, well, maybe if ya got yer head outta yer ass, you'd stop complainin' all the damn time. Lord," he mumbled, shifting on his feet as if he was making to head back.

A little girl who was standing right in front of him, giggled. "You swore."

Daryl looked down and noticed the little girl for the first time, she was craning her neck to look straight into his eyes. "Uh... What about it? Guess I did. Sorry, kid." He had no idea why he'd just apologized to a little girl no taller than his leg. He rubbed his neck and looked at Carl. "Just go if it's such a drag for ya. I'll talk to yer pa' tonight. Jest send me college boy for now. Ya can do that, can't ya?"

"Finally!" Carl grumbled, stalking away.

"Somebody needs to kick some sense into that boy..." Daryl muttered after Carl left.

"He's had a rough few months. We all have." Carl was just lost. She knew the real person behind the tough façade he was putting on; he just needed to grieve and forgive himself for what he'd done. He'd shot his mother and it was something he had to come to terms with.

"You okay?"

Beth woke up from her thoughts with a mental startle and frowned at Daryl. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm living the dream." Beth was surprised on how abrasive she had been and based on Daryl's facial expression he had been surprised, too; she was the sweet little Beth everyone loved, after all. "Sorry..."

Daryl shook his head. "Hey, don't mention it. I ain't the one to judge. I know these walls are good to get in yer head."

"Yeah, I guess so." Beth licked her lips, putting her hands in her back pockets and shifted on her feet with her face slightly lowered. Daryl was just standing there looking at her. What was he still doing here now that Carl was gone? "You don't have to wait 'til Zack comes."

He scowled. "Who?"

"College boy." Oh. Daryl gave nicknames for almost everybody in the prison. It probably explained why he almost didn't recognise them by their actual names anymore.

"I can be with the kids for a few minutes without a brave guy to keep me safe."

"I know ya can."

Beth realized that Daryl must have come for something; he rarely showed up around here, let alone for small talk. She presumed the kids were making him uncomfortable. "Was there anything I could help you with?"

"Uh. Oh yeah, I—"

Beth felt something pull at her backpocket and turned with a smile, knowing only too well who it was. "Yes, Max?"

It was the little boy with the wild blond curls. She knew it was not Christian to say but that little boy was her favorite with the exception of Judith who Beth loved like she was her own daughter.

Max's wide blue eyes went from Beth to Daryl and back again. Beth crouched so he could whisper her ear. Max didn't talk to anybody that wasn't for his mother, his grandfather and Beth. Ever since his own father had tried to eat him, Max hadn't spoken to a stranger. It was going at 15 months now. The first time he'd said something to Beth, she'd almost cried. She had been singing them to sleep one afternoon when Max came up to her and whispered in her ear; _you are beautiful, like an angel. _Since that day he kept drawing her pictures where Beth had wings on her back.

Daryl looked down at the girl who was kneeling in front of the boy. She rubbed his back.

Daryl had a growing feeling that Beth wasn't being quite as honest as she was trying to make him believe she was. He could tell she wanted to be of more use to the prison. If only there was a way he could show her how essential she had become for the prison and for the kids most of all; they'd be lost without her. Or up to their shoulders with restless kids.

Beth kissed the little boys head. "Thank you, I'm sure he'll be happy."

The boy's face lit up with joy before he ran back to the other kids.

"He did that for you." Back on her feet, Beth extended a drawing Daryl hadn't noticed the boy give her. "He wanted to thank you for everything you did and how you keep his angel safe."

Daryl took the drawing, and observed the rendering of two stick figures; one had brown hair and carried a crossbow while the other had long stripes of a pale crayon running from its head supposed to resemble blonde hair.

"Picasso reincarnated. Neat." Daryl was touched by the gesture, but he tried to keep the emotion off his face.

"Would it be sad to say kids' got more talent, drawing, than I got in my little finger."

Beth giggled. "No, I'm right there with you, I know how to sing but that's about it."

"Who is that?" He said pointing to the winged character.

"It's me." Beth couldn't help but blush when Daryl arched a questioning brow to her. "It's a long story and it doesn't matter."

"Well, you've been promoted Angel. That's one hell of a title, girl." He gave her half a smile that made Beth grin back. A smile from Daryl was such a rare thing, even a tug at the corner of his lips would have been a victory.

"Well, some people do find me out of this world. "

Daryl eyes were lit up with humor, he opened his month to reply but the moment disappeared when a familiar voice broke interrupted them.

"Hey, the moody kid sent me here. What can I do for you?"

Daryl turned to look at a tall boy with a big mop of messy brown hair. "D'ya mind stayin' here with them until the end of day?" His tone didn't leave much place for argument. Rick was the boss but everybody knew Daryl was his second in command, whatever they said went.

Zack smiled at Beth, eyeing her with appreciation before turning to Daryl. "No, quite the contrary I enjoy spending time with the kids."

Daryl wasn't stupid. Hell, he knew who Zack _really_ wanted to spend some time with. And it bothered him. It made sense that he felt protective over the original group; Beth was still just a kid, after all. Zack had joined the group a couple of months ago and he was participating more than his share, but Daryl didn't know him enough to trust him with Beth. "Yer here to keep them safe, not go Casanova, ya hear me?"

Beth's mouth fell open. She knew Zack found her attractive. Not that he had much choice around here anyway, but hearing it out loud embarrassed her. Poor Zack had to be blushing madly over being so transparent to Daryl.

When she looked up he was smiling, instead. "No problem, Captain. I'll save the flirting for later, right Beth?" He winked making her blush even more.

Daryl grumbled something under his breath and shook his head. "I came to ask ya if the kids needed anything. We're goin' on a run to the big mall at the end of the week and Rick wants ta know what we need."

"Oh um, we need some things to keep them occupied and some are growing and in need of stimulation , so I'll say crayons and maybe some study books. You know, if we want to educate them a bit. But if you're asking if we need any essentials, I don't think so."

"Having a decent childhood's essential enough."

"I want to come." I was a spur of the moment decision but she didn't regret it.

Daryl's eyes flicked up to meet hers again. "Where?"

"On the run."

Daryl snorted. "Yeah. I don't think so." Daryl saw disappointment flash through her eyes and he didn't like being the one putting it there. "It ain't my call."

She was crossing her arms over her chest. "Y'all think I'm useless." She shook her head. "But I know what the kids will enjoy; I'm with them more than anyone else, every day in fact!"

"Tell me what ya need, I'll bring it back to ya, I promise."

"What I need?" she took a take a step forward. "I need freedom; I need to get out from this place, I need..." Sighing, Beth threw her hands up in surrender. "Just take whatever you want, I'll be fine." She turned around and went back to sit on the chair she had been occupying before.

Daryl looked at her silently for a minute, he willed her to look up at him but she kept her eyes lowered at her fidgeting hands.

Zack sat down on a chair beside her and nudged her leg with his. He whispered something to her Daryl couldn't hear, but Beth looked up at the boy with a small smile.

The hunter shook his head, turned around and left them. Zack wasn't an appropriate guard for the kids. He needed to tell Rick to keep him away from Beth; she was distracting him and it wasn't any good for the group.

He wanted to tell himself the weird weight that settled in his stomach was because of his concern over a job being done right and not because of the smile the college boy lured to the blonde's lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N:** Hey guys!

I was so speechless with the number of reviews/alerts/favorites I got for chapter 1. Thank you so much! Please note this story will be updated once a week, most likely every Sundays.

I wanted to take a minute to thank my beta once again **KaptenKramp**. It might be my story but she has a true gift and she helps me so much, making this story much better than I could.

Please keep reading and reviewing it really make it all worth it.

Steffy2106

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the walking dead. Just the plot of this story.

**Chapter 2: **

That night Judith refused to sleep. It didn't matter what Beth tried, Judith just wouldn't close her eyes. Maybe she could feel how particularly frustrated Beth was.

"Come on, sweetheart, sleep for auntie Bethy. I need to sleep, too. I need to." Beth cooed at the baby, cradling her lovingly.

When she looked down at the baby, Judith made a face that Beth knew only too well. "You hungry?" Just as she'd uttered the question, Beth heard her own stomach grumble with hunger. Beth had been thinking so much about Daryl's reaction to her request and had been so focused on Judith's needs, she'd forgotten to eat something herself and now her stomach was impatiently demanding her to do something about it.

"Well, let's go find something in the kitchen."

Beth tiptoed to the storage where they keep the food as quietly as she could. She didn't want to wake any of the companions that had already retreated to their cells. As she got closer to common hall she heard Rick's voice, followed by her own sister's familiar tune. When she glanced over the edge of the cell frame, she saw most of them standing there, Rick, Maggie, Carol, Michonne and Daryl. Beth knew eavesdropping wouldn't go down too well with them if they caught her, but she should be as much included in this kind of conversation as any other original member. She was a part of this group after all. The way they treated her, sheltering her from every bit of news or planning they thought was going to upset, was getting exhaustingly repetitive.

"So this is all we need? Let's send two groups tomorrow to the mall and see what we can find there before really organizing the runs." Rick said. "Daryl?"

"I agree, but-"

"What?"

"I think we should take Beth with us." Daryl shifted, glancing at a few of them as he tried to find a worthy explanation. "Girl's been caught up with the kids, been spendin' all her time with either them or Lil' Asskicker. She could use some distraction." He shrugged.

Daryl couldn't believe he was doing this for Beth. Hell, her old man would chase him all the way to Sunday if he found out. But seeing the disappointment and the defeated look in her eyes when Daryl hadn't complied to her wish, affected him more than he wanted to admit.

Beth had felt a small but warm wave grow in her chest as Daryl casually took her side. Maybe he wasn't making a big deal out of it, but Beth knew he had listened to her. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have brought her up.

Maggie laughed incredulously and leered at Daryl. "Are you high? There's no way in hell I'll take my sister out there."

"You'd be 'round her, so you could protect her."

"So would God, and I still wouldn't let her!" Maggie shook her head. "So you could take responsibility over her in a huge mall we've never been to before. Lord knows how many walkers would be in there. Would you be prepared for that with her? Would you?"

Daryl remained silent, Maggie had a fair point. He couldn't bring Beth somewhere that posed that big a risk for all of them, let alone an unexperienced girl.

"Thought so."

"Eventually everyone needs to learn to hold their own. Let her start with something small, give her a taste of defending herself."

"Yea, I agree with Daryl, I think we should give her a chance," said Zach.

Daryl threw him a dark look. "Yeah, and maybe you should take a seat and put a sock in it; ain't yer decision."

Rick's eyes discretely shifted between Daryl and Zack. He knew very well that Daryl probably had the worst temper out of all of them and that he could suddenly fire up out of nowhere, but the way Daryl looked at Zack, the way he had snapped at him for simply agreeing with him, spoke of something that lied beneath the surface. He only wondered what the poor kid could have done to receive that death glare from the hunter.

Rick sighed. "No offence, Daryl, but we've got enough people who take care of the runs. Besides, we're all pulling our weight here, who could spare the time to train her? You?"

Daryl opened his mouth but closed it just as quick; he didn't think he would be a very good teacher, especially not for a girl like Beth who probably had been sheltered by her family ever since she was a child.

"See," Rick shook his head. "No, Beth's just fine where she is, case closed. Now-"

"I'll train her," Zack stood up. "I can hold my ground in a fight; I can teach her some stuff."

"You sit down" said Daryl gesturing in his general direction, not even bothering to look at him. "The girl needs to be trained not hit on."

"But –"

Daryl turned and glared at him. "I told ya to sit down and shut up; we both know what ya want to train her at and it ain't gonna happen."

"What's wrong with him? I think it's a good idea he gets something else to do with his time. After all, he's got more of it to spare than the rest of us." Rick pointed out, putting his hands on his hips, tilting his head at Daryl.

Daryl hated the idea of Zack and Beth training together, but he suddenly felt uncomfortable under everyone's scrutiny as his word stood against all the others. Daryl shifted. Suddenly he felt almost annoyed at Beth because she'd somehow put him in this situation, even if it hadn't been a direct effort from her part. Hell, why couldn't anyone else see it? Beth needed training and she wasn't going to get none from a horny college kid. They wanted to ignore the warnings that were right in front of them, fine. He just didn't like the way they were looking at him. Like the saying went, no good deed goes unpunished. He would know better next time. He knew he was right, but was tired of arguing. With a shake of his head he simply said; "Nah."

"I'll train her."

They all turned toward Michonne as if they had forgotten she was there. Michonne wasn't the most chatty nor amicable person; her silence made her blend in with the environment better than most could.

"What?" She glared back at them. "You don't think I can train someone?"

"No, of course you can, it's just..." Rick started, clearly uncomfortable.

"It's just what?"

He shook his head dismissively. "Nothing, if Beth wants to train then do it, you'll be great."

At this moment, Judith started to really fuss and Beth couldn't hide any longer. Walking into the space with soft steps, Beth tried not to look phased by the group.

"Sorry, Judith was hungry, I'll be on my way." Beth said going to the storage room.

It didn't take long before the group broke and they all went their separate ways to resume their work. With a lazy strut Daryl went looking for Beth to tell her the good news, she would be happy for sure.

"You owe me." Michonne whispered, passing by him and taking the direction of the storage room.

Daryl snorted. He wasn't a stranger to people deluding themselves into thinking he owed them, that they'd done him a favour when in reality they'd just done something out of their own free will. He didn't owe her nothin'.

Beth was feeding Judith when the door opened behind her. She expected it to be Maggie or her father, but was surprised to see it was Michonne.

Beth smiled tentatively at the woman and shifted her hold on Judith. She felt the slightest uncomfortable under the woman's scrutiny, and not because Michonne felt like a threat to her; Beth just didn't know how to talk to her, and if she recalled it correctly this was the first time she found herself properly alone with her.

"The kid has some appetite," said Michonne, leaning against the cabinet.

Smile softening, Beth nodded. Somehow, talking about Judith usually made her feel better. Maybe Michonne had her suspicions. "She's eating like she's four, it's crazy." Her own stomach grumbled loudly at the mention of eating.

"Seems like another person needs to eat, too. Here, I'll take her. Go grab something to eat." Michonne adjusted the katana on her back before she held out her gloved hands towards her.

Beth hesitated noticeably.

"Don't worry. Won't be the first baby I held."

Beth nodded, giving her the little girl and went to retrieve some cookies from Carol's secret stash.

"So do we pretend you didn't hear everything that was discussed or can we just move on and arrange for the training?" Asked Michonne with an even tone looking down at Judith.

Beth's mouth fell open and blood rushed up to her face. "I-… I was just-… Jude was hungry and I-…"

There was nothing accusing or condemning in Michonne's eyes when her eyes met Beth's, in fact she looked rather amused.  
"Hey, don't worry." Her eyes drifted away to focus on the tiny little human resting in her arms. "Meeting was partly about you, you were bound to found out sooner or later. I won't tell." Beth could have sworn there was a hint of a sly smirk playing on Michonne's lips. "Good to know you have a backer in the second in command."

"Yeah... That was unexpected," said Beth, taking a bite of her cookie. Of all the people in the prison she never thought Daryl would have any consideration for how she felt.

"No, not really."

"What do you mean?"

Michonne only smiled in response. "So are you ready to get to training? If you're comfortable with your trainer, that is."

Beth had seen Michonne fight before and the woman was lethal both with and without her katana. Beth would consider herself blessed if she could fight at least half as well as Michonne. And now she was getting her chance. Beth jumped eagerly to her feet, eyes wide with excitement. "Yes!" Her face almost immediately took on a darker shade of pink when she realized her outburst might have come out louder and stronger than what was necessary. She pressed her lips together, trying to contain the excitement that was bubbling inside her. "I mean, thank you for volunteering. I hope it won't be too much of a burden."

A smile tugged at the corner of Michonne's lips. "No, it won't be."

Beth frowned. Michonne sometimes didn't make any sense, but Beth quickly decided it wasn't important. She was finally going to get trained to do the things everyone else did which meant in time people would start seeing her as a valued member of the group. Maggie and her father would also look at her differently; they would finally give her more credit, trust her to do the heavy lifting just like any full member. She wasn't going to be the house help anymore.

"When do we start?"

Michonne handed her Judith again. "Tomorrow afternoon. Be by the tower after lunch, I'll be done with my shift then."

"Thank you," Beth said as they were walking back to their cell block.

Michonne gave her a humourless chuckle. "Don't thank me just yet, you'll soon regret you wanted to train, believe me."


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N: Hey guys! **

As promised chapter 3. Seriously my beta was so busy and still managed to put so much hard work in this chapter I was so impressed for her dedication I have no words except "Thank you so much Chris"

I really hope you are going to enjoy this chapter. You know I wouldn't mind a little review to see how you like this story, the last chapter didn't get many :).

Anyway enjoy and note I still don't own the Walking Dead I asked Robert he said no….*sigh*

Steffy2106

**Chapter 3:**

Michonne had been right. Two weeks had passed since Beth had started the training and she had never experienced anything more painful in her life. Her whole body was in constant pain, every single muscle in her body – even muscles she didn't know she had – where aching with exertion. Beth couldn't even take a seat without having to brace herself on something, making herself look like an old woman in the process. The first week had been the worst. She swore, her butt had never ached so much as it had in those painful days. Beth was covered in bruises, scratches and dirt, but in the end she knew it was all worth it. It had better be.

Sitting by the picnic table leaning forward, elbows against each knee, the warrior regarded Beth with a solemn, critical eye.

Beth was on the ground, shaking from the effort of pushing herself up. "23…" she rasped with the effort, arms aching and begging for rest.

Michonne was impressed. The girl was much braver and stubborn than she had given her credit for and Michonne usually wasn't wrong about people. She had expected her to throw in the towel before the first week had passed. Being intentionally hard on Beth maybe wasn't very fair of Michonne, but she wanted to test Beth's limits, she wanted to see how much she really wanted this; to see if Beth would retreat back to her role as the baby-mascot or rise to the tough reality of being an adult in this new, harsh world.

But Beth kept coming back. With every challenge Michonne threw at her the girl struggled back to her feet again. She was in pain, Michonne could tell, but Beth never complained openly about it.

"Good," Michonne said with a voice void of any emotion as Beth put her feet under her. The girl was barely keeping her balance, hands resting against her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "You're going to run now."

Beth's eyes darted over to the woman. "Run?"

"Yes, you know… Put a foot in front of the other in a fast pace."

Beth rolled her eyes with a slight smile and brushed the sweat on her forehead away with the back of her hand. "I know what running is."

"Then why are you still standing here?"

"I just did 30 push-ups after climbing all those trees and doing all that other stuff." Beth huffed, throwing a soaked strand of hair away from her face. "Don't you think I've earned at least five minutes?"

The woman merely arched an eyebrow. "Tell that to the snapping jaws next time they come around."

Beth shifted the slightest, not quite sure what to respond.

"Okay," Michonne said after a few seconds. She braided her fingers together and nodded to the vacant spot on the bench her feet where resting on. She scooted a little to the right on the table to make more room. "I'm teaching you how to fight, right?"

With a nod, the blonde girl plopped down on the bench, staring straight out into the field.

"We're gonna have to find someone who can teach you how to shoot."

"Why can't you do it?"

Michonne silenced her with a stare when Beth turned her head and looked up at her.

"Daryl, I and a good deal of the others know how to hold our ground, but even we have our limits."

Beth nodded again, wondering where the woman was taking this but she decided to remain silent and listen.

"Imagine you're facing five walkers or even five people on your own with no bullets left in your gun and no other weapons around. What do you do?"

"I-," Beth frowned, trying to think of a smart answer. "I don't know." She wouldn't know at all what to do in a situation like that. She was only a girl at 5'3' feet and 100 lbs, she couldn't take even one grown person if she tried.

"You run."

Beth's eyes shifted up to Michonne as if to confirm what she just heard. Michonne nodded at her. "You run as far and as fast as you can in a situation like that. There is a difference between dying for a cause and dying for nothing. There is no shame in running away. Bravery is also surviving. Now run."

Staring out at the path she was going to take, Beth pushed herself to stand. "How long?"

"Until I tell you to stop."

Daryl stood watch in the tower with Sasha. He was supposed to keep an eye on the north side of the wall but his binoculars was like a magnet, attracted to its opposite pole and that pole was Beth. She was training with Michonne, he noticed.

Beth was running under the blinding afternoon sun and she'd been at it for almost an hour, too. She'd already stopped to vomit once, he was surprised Michonne hadn't allowed her to rest several minutes ago. As the running figure's pace started to falter ever so slightly, Daryl frowned. Maybe he'd need to go down there, stop the kid before she passed out from dehydration. What was Michonne thinking? Daryl had seen Beth during their breakfast, or just a glance at lunch, he'd seen the bruises and scrapes that covered her arms. Michonne was pushing her hard, and Daryl realized that Beth could be tough but she weren't no Rambo.

A hand on his shoulder startled him. Daryl mentally cursed. He wasn't supposed to be this sloppy, damnit. Nobody should be able to approach him without him noticing.

"What?" he barked, turning around.

"Aren't you a ray of freaking sunshine? Rick needs you downstairs," Glenn said, extending his hand for the binoculars.

"Humph," Daryl shoved them into his hands.

"They're increasing," Glenn said warily with a hint of disdain in his voice as he looked out over the field that practically crawled with walkers.

"I know…"

"It's still manageable, but we need to take care of it, because it won't be for too long."

"I'll talk to Rick." Daryl got down the tower and went in the direction of Michonne. This would only take a minute of his time and Glenn hadn't mentioned the urgency of Rick's inquiry.

The close-bitten look on Daryl's face told Michonne Daryl wasn't there to congratulate her on her progress with Beth, but she was hardly affected by his rough demeanor. Crossing her arms, she got up and walked towards him. "Keep going, Beth! I might not see you, but I can hear you!" Face void of any emotion as always, she met Daryl's eyes.

"Maybe you should take it easy with her." His voice was as stern as his face looked.

"What's it to you, Dixon?"

"Well, if ya had a pair o' damn eyes you'd see the girl's pale as death itself." He threw his arm lazily in the general direction of Beth as she appeared in the distance. "She's goin' ta pass out if y'have her keep this up."

The woman only glanced at Beth and shrugged slightly before concentrating on Daryl again. She tilted her head at him. "At least we'll know her limit if she does."

He scoffed, taking a step forward. "She's a trainee, not an experiment! This ain't bootcamp!" He glared down at her. "Beth ain't you or me, ya can't throw her right into it!"

"Did she complain to you?"

"No, Beth ain't like-" He caught himself and shifted the slightest. "She ain't said nothin' to me."

"So why are you meddling? You're not her father, her brother or her husband. If you're not happy, you are more than welcome to train her yourself."

"Maybe I will."

Michonne made a wide gesture with her arm without taking her eyes off Daryl. "Be my guest. Not into the whole teacher thing anyways. 'Supposed to be a favour."

"Why'd you think this would help me?" Daryl was trying to feign incredulousness although it was probably too late for that now.

Michonne rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You were gonna shoot an arrow into that kids butt before you let him train Beth."

"He wouldn't have done a good job. We need her fit for fight sooner than later, so."

"You keep telling yourself that, maybe if you say it enough you'll start believing it."

"What?"

Michonne raised her chin the slightest. "Are we done? I've an hour left. Can't stand here, picking daisies with you for much longer."

Daryl clenched his jaws so hard it was beginning to hurt. Michonne was taunting him and wasn't putting a big effort it hiding it. "Yeah. We're done." With that he briskly walked back to the prison in search of Rick.

Daryl found him in the common hall, looking down at a map.

"Glenn said you wanted ta see me."

"Yes," Rick put his finger over a spot on the map when Daryl came to his side. "The mall is a good place, but I think we need to send a few scouts before we move in. What do you think?"

Daryl shifted on his feet with a shrug. "I think we need to make _this_ place safer, first. Ain't likin' the number of walkers 'round our walls, man." He shook his head when he met Rick's eyes.

"I know…" Rick closed his eyes and let out a weary sigh. "Their numbers are increasing by the day I just don't know what to do."

"I'll have a look in the woods tomorrow morning, see if there's anything attracting them there."

"You're not going alone."

"I'm better alone."

Rick pinned Daryl with the intense, steady gaze he always used when he spoke of matters like this. "You think I'm willing to take that risk? I've got more mouths to feed than ever, Daryl. If anything happened to you or anyone else… I need you here, can you understand that?"

Daryl could argue but he knew Rick was doing this more for his own peace of mind than for Daryl's. Rick kept saying how they all were a family, after all; he almost lost his mind when Lori died, he couldn't lose anybody else.

Daryl nodded. "Alright, I'll take Glenn."

Rick sighed in relief, nodding back at Daryl in gratitude. "Thank you, Daryl. I don't know what I would do without you here."

Feeling uncomfortable, Daryl awkwardly rubbed his neck. He had never been that very good at feelings. "Yeah, ya know… Ye're family."

Rick nodded.

Excusing himself, Daryl took off in the direction of the showers, now that everybody was busy. When you lived in these conditions you had to take every chance you got, it was now or never. Just when he turned the corner and walked into the shower space, someone bumped hard into his chest. "For fuck sakes, watch where yer going!"

"Sorry," a blushing Beth mumbled turning her face down.

"Beth." He took a step back, suddenly feeling guilty for lashing out at her like that. Maybe it was the guilt that drove him to say the next thing. "Didn't know it was you."

"It's okay."

Frowning, he took a step forward, blocking her way out. She gave him the feeling that she was hiding something. With a finger under her chin, he raised her face to the light.

Beth tried to smile and winced; smiling with a busted lip wasn't so smart, apparently. The dark look that came over Daryl's eyes didn't make it any better. Suddenly Beth felt uncomfortable, not knowing what was going through Daryl's mind.

A strange, warm feeling settled in her chest when a dirty but gentle finger brushed across her bottom lip. Had it not been for him standing right in front of her, she wouldn't have believed it was Daryl Dixon touching her. He was always so rough and brutal, but now he was being so soft and he looked concerned.

"What happened?" He sounded tense, as if he was restraining himself.

Beth flinched and drew in a breath as if she'd forgotten to breathe. She shrugged. "It was an accident. My fault really, I was distracted when she told me to stay focused… I never saw her elbow coming."

If Michonne hadn't been a woman, he'd have gone straight down to her and shown her a thing or two. He'd told her to go easy on Beth and first thing he sees when he meets Beth after that is a busted lip. He tried to sound unaffected, but his words came out in a soft growl; "Just a split lip. It'll heal fast."

"I know, I'm okay."

"Did Michonne tell you? I'm taking over your training."

Beth scowled and blinked in confusion. "No, she didn't. Why? Isn't she happy with me?"

"Sure she is, but I think ya need to learn to shoot."

"Oh," A smiled stretched over her face again. "Okay." She was almost surprised with herself. Suddenly she didn't find the idea of spending time with Daryl that bad.

Daryl nodded, moving out of her way. "Good, see ya tomorrow after lunch. Don't be late. Now ya better go, 'cause I'll start removing my clothes in a minute."

In an instant her blood rushed up to her face and she scrambled out without another word.

Beth didn't know what bewildered her most; that Daryl had shamelessly said those words in her presence or that deep inside her, some part of her realized she wanted to see him without his clothes on.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: Hellooooo my dear DETH/BETHYL fans!**

I know you guys almost lost hope but as promised here comes chapter 4. My Beta and I really hope it was worth the wait. You should see the amount of work my beta did in this chapter! Pure awesomeness let me tell you. And as you can see it's an EXTRA long one too.

Anyways remember you'll get next chapter in a couple of weeks but please review and let us know what you think of the story. We love reading your reviews and it motivates us to work even harder.

Without further chapter 4 and remember I still don't own the Walking Dead!

Steffy2106

**Chapter 4:**

"You know the more I think about it, the more I think it was stupid to go into the woods just the two of us," Glenn said as they were exiting the prison from the south side.

Daryl snorted, casting a glance at the younger man over his shoulder. "Ya had a pair before, what happened? Did ya give it to Maggie with the engagement ring?" He shook his head taking the lead. "We're jest goin' to circle back to the front to see if somethin' is attractin' them."

"Yeah, our flesh does! We're just going to hand our asses to them." Glenn muttered.

"They won't know we're here and ya run fast, quit being such a pussy. Where's the Glenn that used to run into a street full of geeks just ta save a guy he didn't know?"

"That Glenn didn't have anything to lose; I have a family now, I have Maggie. You're lucky you don't have anyone."

Daryl's step faltered ever so slightly and his back visibly stiffened. Glenn could punch himself for being so insensitive; by now Daryl knew that everyone counted on him as family, Carol more than anyone, but he still had just lost his brother, Merle. "Hey, I'm sorry man, I didn't mean—"

Daryl raised his hand to stop him, not even bothering to turn around. "S'alrigh'. I ain't got nothin to lose, you're right."

Daryl wanted to keep going, pretend like he didn't care what Glenn had said but the young man's words affected him more than he wanted to admit. Hell, Daryl had never been the type to cry because people didn't particularly approve of him. Over the years, even before the world went to shit, it had turned into one of his strengths; prejudiced people were predictable people, after all. But now things were different. People counted on him in a way people hadn't counted on him before and for a moment he wondered if they would miss him if he went away. They probably would for a while, just like every other member of the group they'd lost, like Andrea or Dale. But would anyone be affected to the core if he was never to come back again?

Daryl frowned with a slight grimace when Beth's face suddenly appeared in his mind. Carol he understood, she was his kindred spirit, the closest thing to a sister he'd ever had… but Beth?

Daryl snorted, so deep in his thoughts he didn't see the dark shapes, hovering above the ground and almost walked right into them. "What the-"

Taking a step back and gathering his bearings, Daryl stared into the black, lifeless and staring eyes of a deer. "What the hell?" he mumbled at length, taking a firm grip on the strap of his crossbow as if it gave him comfort doing it. There were several animals, not just deers, hanging by their legs, secured to the thick branches of the trees with rope. Their throats had been cut open and the blood was dripping down on the ground.

"Damn, it's like we're in Norman Bates kitchen. They are everywhere." Glenn said looking around

Daryl hitched the strap of the crossbow higher up his shoulder and took a step around the deer. Momentarily, he wrinkled his nose at the smell that suddenly came as a wave at him. It was as he had feared. There were two separate but perfect lines of different animals hanging by the trees. Daryl would recognise the touch of a hunter anywhere. He only knew too well what this meant. "They're baits."

With a hand on his knee, Glenn tried to keep his balance as he coughed at the smell. "Baits for what?" he managed to rasp.

Dark, calculating eyes scanned the corpse of the animal before he answered with a deep, raspy voice, "Us."

"What?"

"Don'tcha see?" Daryl said, pacing the slightest, temper suddenly spiking up at the situation and pointed with a shaking finger down at the blood that was gathering on the ground. "Smell of that blood alone is enough to attract a few walkers, not to mention a damn herd of 'em. It'll get 'em jest close enough to wander to the prison." Pressing his lips together, he slapped the leaves of a bush out of his way. "Son of a bitch!"

"Do you think it's the Governor?"

Daryl snorted with a shrug. "Dunno, wouldn't put it past him. Man's bonkers, smart and desperate for revenge… lethal mix. May be him, yeah. He did throw a truck full of fuckin' walkers on us."

Glenn used his knife to carefully poke the deer. If this was the Governors doing, what was he even trying to accomplish? "What do you think his angle is?"

"Us bein' overwhelmed by walkers is what his fuckin' angle would be. Fuck if I know what he's thinking; man's a psycho. Here, we need to take 'em down and burn them." Daryl slipped the backpack off his shoulders and fished out a bottle. "Gasoline. Let's smoke these poor bastards before they go from calling the dinner-bell to the gong."

The young man stared incredulously at Daryl's bag but caught the bottle Daryl threw at him. "You carry a bottle of gasoline in your bag at all times?"

Daryl shrugged. "So what? We need to be prepared. Everybody makes fun of the redneck until the zombie apocalypse."

Cutting down the animals took much longer time than they anticipated it would. 'Course, after the third animal had been cut down directly followed by a walker trying to take a chunk out of Glenn's leg they realized one of them had to stand watch for the dead and they were getting quite a few already. And someone had to make sure the fire didn't get too wild, either.

When they were on their way back, Glenn brushed his hand over the front of his shirt, grimacing at the dust that gathered on his skin. His eyes widened when he noticed it was in his hair, too. "Man, the smell of burned flesh is going to stay for weeks."

"Nah, just hit the shower and it'll be more like barbecue." Daryl replied with a small smirk. "I need to talk to Rick, ya comin'?"

Glenn shook his head. "Nah, you're the boss. I'll see you later."

Rick wasn't hard to find, but the man's moments with his children were already too sparse, Daryl felt bad interrupting him while he fed his little girl. Judith's head was resting on the crook of Rick's arm and he was cooing lovingly down at her while holding the bottle of formula with a gentle hand. Daryl took a careful step back, deciding to come back later but Rick looked up at the hunter before he had time to exit the room.

"Daryl?"

He came to a stop right by the cell-frame and looked over his shoulder at his friend. Scratching his neck, he waltzed back. "Hey."

"No offense, but you look like shit."

Daryl laughed bitterly and leaned against the wall, hooking his thumbs through the hoops of his pants. "Yeah? Feel like it, too."

"What happened?"

The hunter paused with his eyes on his boots. Before he spoke, his eyes quickly scanned the room. "We alone?"

Rick watched Daryl carefully, a frown gathering on his forehead. He nodded when he realized the grave look on Daryl wasn't just Daryl being Daryl and what he was about to hear was not meant for every ear. "Go ahead."

Daryl told him everything about what he and Glenn had seen in the woods and who they suspected the culprit to be.

"Yeah, it does sound like something he would do for sure. What should we do?"

"Dunno, bro. Glenn and I took care of the one side we found. For all we know, psycho could have put some more up elsewhere. Hell, he could even be stringing the whole damn thing back up again." His hand closed around the strap resting over his shoulder and he readjusted the crossbow. "Ain't an expert on the man."

"Nobody is. I want to send teams out to see if we can find any more of these baits." Rick took a step closer to Daryl, bending forward as a way of emphasizing the importance of what he was about to say. "Daryl, I can't let this get out to any of the others. If they find out about this, people will freak out and it'll be near impossible to control them."

"I know that, but what are ya gonna do?"

"I need your help," Rick said, rocking Judith up and down slowly. Rick trusted Daryl more than anybody else in group, he had proven himself time and time again to be genuinely concerned for the welfare and safety of this group. Sometimes Rick thought Daryl would make a greater leader than he would ever be.

"Of course. Anythin'."

"We need to gather a team, people we know that won't betray or talk on us. We need them to know what's going on. We have to control this situation but as quietly as possible."

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, might work, but we don't know what we're up against." The hunter shook his head as if he was trying to find words. "There's nothin' about this that feels right, Rick. Puttin' up those animals, let alone taking them out. That'd take more than one day if it were one man. For all we know he could have a new army now."

Rick held out the hand that held the bottle for emphasis. "I know, but what choice do we have? Leaving is not really an option. There are too many kids, not to mention seniors. How could we travel? They'd be a liability but I sure as hell won't leave them behind. I won't put that on my conscience."

Rick paused, eyes steady in Daryl's.

The hunter knew that if it ever came to it he'd take care of his own and leave the rest behind. They had to be fifty now, but his family came first and they always would. Rick could deny it as much as he wanted to, but Daryl knew that if it came down to the line Rick would chose the group as well, always.

"Ya wanna know who I trust 'xcept our own?" Daryl finally asked.

Rick nodded once.

"Sasha and Tyreese are good people… Michonne, too. But the others?" Daryl shifted on the spot, shaking his head and looked at the sky through the window. "Dunno, man. Wish I could tell the good from the bad, but I can't; world went to shit and people changed."

"I'll send some people to circle the perimeters this afternoon." With a nod at Daryl, Rick turned around to head in the direction of Beth's cell. Judith needed to sleep in her crib now that she'd been fed.

"Good."

"You want in?"

Daryl shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable and ran his hand down his neck. "Got somethin' already."

"Do you?" Rick asked, raising his eyebrows with genuine surprise. Daryl wasn't the kind to give excuses to escape the confinement of the walls.

"Yeah, I'm training the girl this afternoon."

"Beth? But I thought Michonne was doing that."

"Yeah, she is but I'll take over for a few days, jest to teach her proper shooting. I can cancel if ya'll need me." Deep down Daryl didn't want to cancel, it would feel like he was letting her down and he didn't like the after-taste the mere thought of it was leaving in his mouth.

Rick waved dismissively at him. "Nah, it's no problem. I'll send Michonne with Maggie and Tyreese with Sasha, it will be just fine."

"Ya sure?"

"Positive, now I just have to wait for Carol to take over and I'll explain everything to her."

Daryl looked at Rick a few seconds more and he was pleased with what he saw. Rick looked less haunted, much more at peace. Maybe the worst was behind them now.

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

Daryl found Beth sitting on the picnic table. She was leaning on her elbows, eyes closed and her face up toward the sun.

"Look at you, sittin' there like some sun-starved daisy. And here I thought you was up for some trainin'."

Startled out of her thoughts, Beth blushed when she found Daryl looking at her. Great. He found her spacing. Again. The man was a real life ninja. How did he do that? He seemingly appeared out of thin air and it wasn't a one-time thing, either. Beth found herself almost annoyed with not knowing how he managed to sneak up on people that way. "The air is getting warmer, springtime is on the way, I –"

What could she tell him? If she told him what she really was doing there in the sun, his already fragile view of her was going to revert right back to baby. Which would make him the baby-sitter.

When the sun shined at her like it did today, and in the comforts of safety, Beth wanted to sit down, close her eyes and pretend even if for only a minute that everything was normal. The world never went to hell, her mother was still alive, Beth was ready to leave for college and she was just lying in the sun, waiting for her mother to call her inside to do her chores. Her daydream had felt so strong and so real, she could practically smell the freshly cut grass and freshly baked apple pie her mother always made.

Sadly Beth always ended up opening her eyes, seeing the walkers around the fence and the world would come crashing down hard at her again, almost as if it was mocking her like it all was some huge bad joke.

"Ya what?" Daryl shifted his weight from one foot the other while he regarded her carefully. He'd clearly interrupted something important but fuck if he knew what it was. He wasn't very big on small talk, let alone any conversations of the deeper kind. Neither was he the person that could give people any comfort when being confided in, but it was written plainly all over her face. She needed to vent

Beth cleared her throat and threw her legs over the edge of the table. "Just collecting my fill of vitamin D. So... where do we start?" She got off the table and dusted her jeans off to give herself something to do.

"Was thinkin' we should check your shooting. How's about that?"

Beth's eyes took on another shine. Shooting. She'd always wanted to learn how to properly shoot. With a smile, she nodded.

Daryl nodded to the side, hinting at the far end outer wall of the prison. The little patch Daryl had chosen was covered in shade, perfect since they probably were going to be outside for a while. Daryl pointed to a walker standing on the other side of the fence, growling at them. "Okay, so now I want you to stand there and shoot." He nodded down at a spot not far from where he was standing.

Taking her position, Beth took a deep breath and raised her gun with as steady hands as she could manage. Ignoring the biting feeling of Daryl's piercing eyes on her was a challenge. It made her toes curl; her ears turn red and her stomach queasy.

She heard Daryl shift behind her. "Spread your legs more, you need to spread out your weight to keep your balance."

Beth looked down at her feet that were pressed almost together and increased the space between them. With another deep breath, she raised her arms once more and was just about ready to press the trigger when Daryl hummed behind her. "Saggin' like a damn sack of potatoes. Shoulders need to be straighter for the recoil. Gun's too low, as well. Ain't nothin' else but the head yer aimin' for, girly."

The uncomfortable feeling of standing with her back to Daryl quickly turned into gratefulness when she felt her cheeks heat up. Couldn't he just let her pull the trigger already? "I think it's high enough." she said, her pride taking over when she saw the head of the walker in line with the weapon.

Daryl leaned back against the brick wall with a subtle snort, hooking his thumbs through the hoops of his dirty jeans. "If you say so." He sounded almost like he was challenging her. In fact the light amusement in his voice wasn't very hard to detect, but it was however very hard to ignore. With an internal scoff, Beth decided she would show him to tease a Greene girl.

Before she knew it, the trigger gave under the pressure from her fingers and the force of the shot made her close her eyes and she stumbled back right into Daryl's chest.

"Whoa", he mumbled, putting a hand on her shoulder, instantly uncomfortable at her closeness, but Beth was too excited to register what happened.

"Did I get it?"

Glancing over her head, Daryl had to make an effort not to laugh at what he saw. "Oh yeah," he said. "Ya got him just fine. Gotta hand it to ya, if he was human, he'd be a goner."

Confusion written all over her face, Beth looked all over the walker for an entry wound. Blood rushed up to her face when her eyes suddenly locked on the bloody hole between its legs. "Oh."

The corner of Daryl's mouth twitched up when Beth turned around and smiled sheepishly at him. "Got it all figured out on yer own, hm?"

Glancing down at the gun in her hand, the girl shrugged. "I really thought it'd work."

"S'what you need practice for. C'mon, now. Eyes on the price, girl." He gestured to another walker that had come to stand behind the fence. It must have heard the shot.

Beth didn't know whether it was the fact that he had seen her embarrass herself or the fact that she suddenly realized they were standing closer than before that made her shiver and grow goose-bumps all over.

Beth swallowed, composing herself. She had to focus if she was going to get this right and earn the respect of the hunter. "Get into position, now," he said behind her. She almost flinched when the unfamiliar weight of Daryl's calloused hands set on her shoulders. He pulled her shoulders back, straightening them and evening out the slight curve of her back in the process.

"Good," he mumbled, voice softer despite the raspy tone. "Aim higher. No, higher… Just raise- Damnit." He sighed, realizing that Beth would probably never find the position he meant by herself and that he'd have to show her.

Daryl reached forward, his hands sliding down her bare arms until they were resting over her tiny, delicate ones. Without realizing, he'd also taken a step forward, erasing the little space that had been between them, exposing her back to the warmth of his chest. Never having properly touched her before, Daryl quickly noticed how soft and cool her skin was under his own callous and scarred hands and found that he didn't mind the contact. When he caught his thread of thought, he mentally kicked himself. He shouldn't be thinking about Beth in any other manner than teacher and student.

"Whoa, whoa, relax," he mumbled into her ear, sending new shivers down her spine that Beth tried her hardest to hide. Daryl had meant the stiff and rigid hold of her fingers around the gun and the trigger, and when his strong but surprisingly gentle hands kneaded her own, Beth gave way to a little sigh. "Just keep it relaxed."

Beth was frozen on the spot. She knew he was only trying to correct her stance but it was like his hands had left a trail of fire down his her arms, and just having him stand so close had her heart pumping so fast, she felt hot and cold at the same time. For a moment she thought it was the steady beat of his heart that she was feeling against her back. She felt every expand of his chest as he inhaled and it sent waves of tickling warmth through her body that settled somewhere in her stomach. What was happening to her? Not even Jimmy when he'd kissed her by the barn had made her feel anything like this. She couldn't even put her finger on what this was. Apprehension? Fear? Or something completely different.

"Beth?" Daryl gently nudged her. "Go ahead." She was still frozen; he looped his finger over hers on the trigger. "Beth?"

Beth took a deep breath and tried to ignore the burning sensation of her entire body having caught fire, and how his breath against her ear every time he spoke seemed to produce shivers that spread through her like electricity. "Yes?"

"Just gonna stand here or what?"

Beth noticed that his voice was different, huskier somehow. Was something starting here? Beth couldn't ignore the strong feelings that _he _was producing inside her, but the question was, was he experiencing it, too? No. Mentally snorting, she wanted to slap herself. She was just being a stupid girl with crazy hormones. That's what she was. Beth realized that this had to have to do something with her instinct regarding her safety. Daryl was one of the strongest, potentially available males in her group but he was also one of the most resourceful males in her group; of course she would feel attracted to him.

Taking a deep, slow breath and keeping her eyes on the Walker with a stronger assertiveness than she had before, the trigger gave away under the pressure of her finger, and the bullet sailed through the air, only to go straight through the decaying head of the walker.

Arms still in position, Beth watched with widening eyes as the walker fell silent and slumped to the ground. A smile slowly spread on her face as she realized what just had happened and the joy surged through her like a wave. "Wha-… I-… Did-… Did you see that?!" Her eyes were glued on the lifeless body as if she was expecting it to move at any second, but when it didn't she squealed with joy.

"I did it!" Beth twirled around to face him but her smile almost instantly started to falter when she realized her face was only a few centimeters from Daryl's.

Daryl hadn't expected her to twirl around so suddenly like that, but now that he was looking down at her face, he couldn't move. The bright smile she gave him mesmerized him and he noticed for the first time that her eyes that had always been blue to him were stained with gold around the irises. The soft look that came across her face proved that she'd noticed the sudden shift in the atmosphere, too. He couldn't put his finger on it what it was, but he let his eyes wander over the gentle features of her face until they stopped at her pink, softly plump lips and he wondered for a moment if they felt as soft as they looked.

An electric shock went through him and Daryl let go the grip his hands – that had somehow found their way to her arms – had on her, almost like he'd been holding a poisonous snake. Beth stumbled back a few steps and watched as Daryl retreated with a deep frown etched between his eyebrows.

Suddenly he averted his eyes. She was Herschel's daughter for fuck's sake. She wasn't even an adult yet. With a curse, Daryl turned around, picked up the crossbow that was resting against the wall and attempted to walk away.

"Hey!" Beth called at him, confused and embarrassed at the outcome of the situation. "Where are you going?"

Beth swallowed. She must have been mistaken; she thought she had noticed something in his eyes, the way he looked at her, but in the end she had probably only been fooling herself into seeing what she wanted to see. Daryl must have reacted on her behavior. To anyone else it would look like she had practically thrown herself at him. Right? What could she say now? When she watched his retreating back, all she wanted to do was hide and forget it ever happened. No matter what the rejection, it still burned like hell. Beth hated to admit it, but it hurt her a little.

"Can't always be here ta hold ya hand, girl!" he called back at her, not even bothering to fully turn around to face her, as if he couldn't wait to get away. Quite frankly, getting away was the only thing he wanted to do right now. He felt exposed with her, somehow. "Got other things to do, damnit. Just keep training like I showed ya."

"But when are we settin' up to train again?" Beth wanted to apologize, but she wasn't sure what she would be apologizing for.

The hunter slowed down and looked back at the blonde girl who looked almost like she was just as confused as he was. "Tell you what, shoot five of those in a row, and then I'll show ya more." He gave her one last nod before he left her there. That would keep her busy for a while. Something within Daryl scratched at his conscience for leaving her like that, she hadn't done anything bad, but Daryl realized that spending time with her alone might not have been the best idea.

Beth watched his retreating back with no idea of what she was supposed to think of the matter. What had just happened? Her skin was still tingling with that warmth where he had touched her, and even if admitting it to herself felt new and foreign, the only thing she wanted right now was to feel him touch her again.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: **Hey guys!

I know this chapter is a bit late and i truly hope it meets your expectations. Once again i would like to thank my beta who did an amazing job. It's becoming more and more 'our' story will all the amazing ideas and inputs she has.

Don't forget to review we both LOVE to read you...even if we still don't own the walking dead. Next chapter in a couple of weeks ;)

Steffy2106

**Chapter 5: **

It had been two days since Beth's last session with Daryl. Beth stirred the soup while trying to convince herself not to read too much into that. Two days. And Beth not having seen the slightest trace of Daryl since that day - which was supposed to be impossible because space wasn't exactly something any of them could brag about in their humble "home" - wasn't at all conveniently connected to the fact that last time she saw him he practically ran away from her. In fact, if Beth chose to ignore the warning bells chiming about a possible paranoia in her head, she'd say it seemed like Daryl was getting out of his way to avoid her.

Which, fine, it bothered her - but if it was going to be this way she was just going to have to ask someone else to teach her how to shoot. It was after the 5th attempt at singlehandedly acing five walkers in a row - of which her highest score still was only a humble… two - Beth realized that maybe she needed some more instructing.

Rick used to be an instructor when he was in the police force but she could see how tense he was and she gathered he hadn't always been like that. She didn't want to ask him since he already seemed to have so much on his plate. Rick wasn't the only one, though; their entire group was tense. Something had changed with them, they suddenly seemed more alert, more nervous, and it gave her the feeling they knew something she didn't.

"How's the training going?" Carol appeared at Beth's side, placing a bowl on their work-space.

The older woman met Beth's eyes only fleetingly before the young woman concentrated on her handiwork with a shrug and a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"That good?"

Sometimes Beth wanted to praise Carol for her ability to understand without any real words being exchanged. She looked up into her genuinely concerned eyes when she felt her gentle hand rubbing her back soothingly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She licked her lips before starting carefully, "It's not really going the way I wanted it to go. Michonne was a great teacher." Beth let go of the spoon, put her hands against the edge of the counter and quirked her brows up with a hint of humor. "Borderline sadistic, but good. Daryl took over the teaching, wanted to show me how to shoot and -" she sighed. "Guess he figured I was a lost cause." Beth stirred the soup again. "Can't say I blame him."

Carol shook her head, her forehead creased with a frown concern and worry. "No, honey, you're wrong. I know Daryl Dixon, and he's not the type to give up." Carol had experienced that first hand when Daryl had gone through hell and back to find her little girl - and almost lost his life in the process - when everyone, including herself, had lost any and all hope of ever seeing her again. "And you are not a lost cause," Carol shook her head. "We all started in a similar state, despite our many differences, it just takes us different time to get up on our feet."

Beth gave Carol a small smile. Carol seemed to always know what to say to make her feel better. "Thank you for always being there for me."

A warm, rejuvenating smile spread over Carol's face. "You're welcome. You can tell me anything, anytime."

With a nod, Beth killed the fire.

"Here," Carol mumbled and filled a small plastic bowl with beans and squirrel meat soup. "Why don't you take this to the tower?" Her smile was knowing, her voice playful and Beth knew instantly that she was up to something. "I'm sure Daryl would appreciate his fill."

The hand that stretched out to accept the plate halted abruptly at Carol's mention of Daryl. Wait, what? It took Beth a few seconds to process what Carol was getting at. Daryl's avoiding her was frustrating, but at the same time knowing that he was going out of his way to not see her made her even less motivated to find him for something as simple as _food_. Beth tried to think of the quickest excuse to not do it. "Um, don't you- don't you need help serving the others? I'm sure they'll be here, soon."

"That's something Karen and Sasha can help me with." Carol was not letting Beth back down from this. There was clearly something going on between her friends and it seemed like they needed a nudge to work it out. Beth was not sharing and it was pointless to even ask Daryl - that man was clueless on most forms of social interactions anyway. "Stop worrying and just go. Tell him what's wrong. While the food's still hot."

Beth felt a blush slowly crawl up her cheeks.

"He's a bit rough on the outside, but mostly he's all bark but no bite." The older woman winked at Beth.

A noise that could only be defined as a chuckle mixed with a scoff escaped from Beth. "I'll say."

When she looked down at the humble, steaming portion of food, lying pathetically on the old, scarred plastic plate, she was once again reminded of her task. Fine. She was going to confront him sooner or later; they lived in a prison block for heaven sakes, they were bound to meet sooner or later. "Okay, give me that plate."

The few minutes it took her to walk to the tower felt like walking the green mile. Her heart was beating faster with each step she took and when she reached the top of the stairs it felt like her heart was actually going to jump out of her throat.

"I brought you di - oh!" Perplexed, Beth halted when it was Zack and not Daryl that was standing in the tower, binoculars in hand. Glancing quickly around she realized he was alone.

His back was to her but he twirled around as soon as he heard her feet on the metal floor and flashed her a charming smile. "A beautiful girl, delivering me dinner? I've got to be the luckiest guy alive." Without another word he came forward reaching for the plate, but not without brushing her hand with his own in the process.

Beth averted her eyes, blushing at his administration but at the same time something tugged in the back of her mind; his touch felt nice for sure, but it was nothing compared to the burning trail that Daryl had left on her arms the other day. Beth almost flinched; why in the world would she even care if anything was done differently by Daryl? She shifted impatiently on her feet, irritated at herself which made her question come out harsher than she meant to; "Daryl is not here?"

His face fell and he let out a dramatic sigh, almost feigning disappointment. "I should have known. Nobody would deliver food if it's meant for me…"

"No, it's not that!" Beth burst out, cheeks flushing again. Zack was a perfectly kind person, she didn't want him to think he was left out. "I would have brought dinner to you, too!"

He chuckled. "I know, I was just messing with you." Eyes glinting with amusement he shoved the spoon into the soup and took a mouthful.

Uncomfortable under his scrutiny Beth averted her eyes and shoved her hands in the pocket of her worn out and faded jeans.

"Daryl and Rick had stuff to deal with. My shift was starting in a couple of hours anyways. Noah will be here soon." He grinned. "But we still have a bit of time. Why don't you keep me company for a while?"

"I don't know, you're supposed to keep watch and, well…" Beth shrugged, not knowing what to say without making it sound like she was avoiding him.

With a smile he set the now nearly empty plate on the small table in the corner and kicked the chair beside it into place. "Come on, what harm would it do?" Sinking down into the seat, he patted the other chair beside him while regarding her with inviting eyes. "The sun hasn't even set yet. Plus I might have a present for you."

This caught her attention. "A present?" Her birthday had been two days ago. She knew because Sasha had shown her the perpetual calendar she was keeping and somehow nobody, not even herself had remembered her 18th birthday.

"Come here and I'll show you."

She sat down beside him, back straight and hands folded neatly on her lap. She was nervous to say the least. It was the first time she found herself completely alone with Zack after all and she wasn't quite sure where this was headed.

He reached in his backpack. "I found something on our last run and I kept it for you, I thought you would appreciate it."

It took Beth a few seconds to process what the somewhat familiar yellow piece of plastic that he was currently offering her was. Her eyes widened when she read the all too familiar bold letters; _Oh Henry! _She hadn't realized she'd missed chocolate until she found this piece of heaven right under her nose, her mouth was practically watering now. "Zack, it's your bar. I couldn't possibly. You should have it."

"I'm allergic to peanuts. I took it for you, Beth."

Beth looked down at the bar with hesitation before snatching it out of his hand, ripping the plastic off and taking a big chunk. "Thank you!" she mumbled while eagerly savoring the taste. She blushed at how improper she was acting, her parents had raised her better than that.

Zack laughed. "You are welcome, just seeing the way you're enjoying it is enough."

"It was nice of you to think of me." Maggie was going to pounce on her as soon as she heard that she had chocolate. With a smile she wrapped up the rest of the bar and slipped it into her pocket.

"I think of you a lot." Their eyes locked for a moment until Beth looked away, not knowing what to reply to that. Zack was straightforward and was clearly confident unlike Jimmy who had been shy. It had taken weeks before he found it in himself to tell her he liked her.

Zack boldly tucked a loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear. She almost flinched when she felt the warmth of his fingers against her cheek. "Tell me, Beth, do you think of me sometimes?"

Her mouth almost fell open and she felt her ears heat up. She had thought of him sometimes. On occasion she'd wondered what it would be like to date him. It would certainly please her father that she found a friend, and Zack was kind and attractive enough, but there was something about him that just didn't speak to her, he didn't give her goose bumps or make her stomach tingle. A relationship with him would be nice but merely convenient. "Sometimes." The word slipped out of her mouth before she even realized it.

He looked pleased. "Sometimes? You know how to keep a guy's ego into place, don't you? Alright, I'll take it." He put his hand over hers and Beth's eyes flicked awkwardly down at it but he didn't take the hint.

"Beth, look at me." He braided their fingers together as he leaned forward with half closed eyes until their faces were merely a few inches apart.

Beth blinked, at loss for what to do.

"I like you, Beth Greene, I like you a lot. I think you are beautiful, and since the first time I saw you I wanted to kiss you. I'm going to kiss you now, okay?"

She licked her lips, eyes flicking back and forth between his eyes. Maybe she couldn't feel anything just yet. Maybe if she tried a little harder he'd make her feel the way Maggie had spoken of, or the way it said in those romance novels she used to borrow from Patricia. Maybe all she had to do was to dive into it and a window would open for her. Taking a moderately deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Just before Beth felt Zack's lips against her own, a picture of Daryl appeared in her mind and she wondered for a moment if this would feel anything like the way his mere hands had felt like against her skin.

He was careful at first, pressing soft, featherlike kisses against her lips before he pushed her hair away for better access, scooting forward in his chair and pressed harder against her lips. Beth tried to keep up with him, put a hand on his shoulder for leverage and somehow his arm had sneaked around her waist, pulling her closer. She frowned. There was nothing particularly clumsy about the way he kissed her, in fact he proved to be very skilled at it but it didn't make her feel anything, nothing at all. She sighed against his lips. Maybe this world had broken her more than she thought; maybe the part of her that was meant for love had died with all that had happened.

Beth was about to push him away when they were brusquely separated.

When she opened her eyes she found Zack sprawled on the floor, looking with wide and terror filled eyes up at Daryl who was towering right behind him, the muscles in his arms outlined with strain and hands balled into tight fists. He didn't look very amused at all.

"That's how yer keepin' watch?" he growled down at Zack.

For once Zach had lost his cocky grin.

"You," he growled with emphasis down at the boy. "Leave. Now!"

He scrambled to his feet and Beth made to follow his lead. Somehow she knew Daryl was going to turn this on her and she wasn't going to stick around for that. For a moment she sarcastically considered jumping out of the tower, and had it not been that high, she probably would have tried.

"Oh no, you're not goin' anywhere, girl," Daryl barked at her before she could even take a step. He took a step to the side, blocking her way and gestured for her to sit down.

"Damnit, I told you to leave!" Daryl pointed at Zack who was standing by the door, staring wide eyed at Beth. His hand rested on the door handle but he didn't look like he wanted to open it. Daryl scoffed. So the kid had balls.

"You," Daryl spoke to Noah, the boy who'd come with him, flinched as if someone just woke him up after having stared at the scene with his mouth agape. "Go get Rick, tell him I need him here."

Beth watched as the two boys disappeared through the door. She crossed her arms, drew circles on the floor with her foot and refused to look up at Daryl that was watching her intently. She looked like a child that was waiting to be chastised by her father.

"And you," his raspy voice almost sent shivers down her spine. "I'm a disappointed in you."

Everything around Beth suddenly disappeared into silence. All she could hear was her heart gradually raising its rhythm as her irritation grew and grew until she realized she was angry. She clenched her jaws and her eyes flicked up to lock with his. "You're _what_? Disappointed?"

Her voice was low but hard as steel and it made Daryl take a step back with silent surprise. Beth got up from her seat.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" she continued indignantly. An angry Daryl was something she didn't want to but could deal with, but disappointed? Disappointed over something he had nothing to do with? It bothered her and pissed her downright off. First he totally ran away from her at the end of that training and then he avoided her for days and now seeing him for the first time for days he's telling her he's disappointed?

"You distracted college boy! Ya know better than to do something like that."

"His _name_ is Zack!"

"Don't matter none what his name is, he's young and stupid and you-" He shook his head. "Yer supposed to be better'n this."

Beth scoffed and stared at him in disbelief. "So he's entitled to mistakes but I'm not?"

"Said you wanted to be a part of the group, didn't ya? Way to prove me wrong, missy." He leaned forward. "If yer gonna let yer damn teenage hormones control you, act all spoiled and stupid then this ain't yer damn place."

Beth recoiled as if he'd slapped her and a cold sensation ran through her body like a bucket of ice cold water had been turned upside down above her head. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop the tears that were threatening to spill. She refused to cry in front of him.

"I am making the best of it, okay? I am taking my responsibilities. You're not the only one making sacrifices here, Daryl. Don't you think I miss my life, too? I miss my family, my friends. Don't think just 'cause I'm quiet I don't." Her hands curled into fists. "Don't you dare think just 'cause I miss stupid things like baking, pickin' flowers, lip gloss, nail polish or some stupid cheap coconut scented shampoo it keeps me from pulling my weight here."

She threw her hands in the air. "My birthday was just two days ago, nobody remembered and I understand that. I understand that 18 years just passed and no one is remotely aware of it, I understand I'll never go to prom or go to college, have a normal life. I made peace with that! So please don't tell me I'm not taking my responsibility and that I don't understand the world we live in, because I do. I might not always have, but I do now."

His eyes flicked between her eyes. He noticed the tight muscles around her mouth and shifted with discomfort.

"Well, ya better wake up and try harder, princess, 'cause what I saw here ain't nothin' like behaving responsibly. It could have cost a life, y'realize? This ain't no Southern Belle world no more. One slip up and yer dead." He frowned with a scoff. "Thought you knew that better than most."

"What's going on up in there?"

Beth flinched at the voice that came from the outside. It sounded like Rick.

"We can hear the shouting all the way down here!"

The door opened and Rick stepped inside. His eyes instantly fell on Beth and he didn't need to ask to know she was close to tears. "Beth?" he said in disbelief before he looked questioningly at Daryl.

The blonde shook her head, face flushing with embarrassment. All she wanted now was to get to her cell and be left alone. There was no way she was going to be able to hold her tears a minute longer and she was too proud to let them see her cry. "I have to go," she mumbled, face turned down causing her to almost walk into Rick as she went for the metal stairs.

"What the hell happened here?" Rick asked once she was gone. "What did you say to her? Daryl, she's just a kid."

"She ain't no kid no more!" Daryl shook his head and paced slightly. Part of him wanted to apologize for getting her upset, but seeing her and that boy do those things made his blood boil with fury. Hypocrite, a small part of his mind whispered to him; Glenn and Maggie sneaked away all the time and he didn't give a damn about them.

"Put a leash on that boy, 'cause if I see him mess up one more time I'll be the one dealin' with him and y'all won't like it."

Rick crossed his arms over his chest, his next words practically dripping with incredulousness. "Just to be clear on one thing… should I be careful about him messing up or who he's messing with? Because as far as I can tell he never failed his task."

"What that supposed to mean?" Daryl asked defensively. He hated when someone and especially Rick was question his judgement.

Rick shook his head, deciding to let the matter lie. "Just consider the reasons you're being so hard on him and her. You might be surprised on what you discover." Rick hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans. "Take a break and walk it off, Daryl. I'll take watch. Just send me the Noah kid on your way, he's downstairs."

Daryl frowned when Rick suddenly looked moderately amused. "Don't know what you did to him, but he was about to shit his pants when he came looking for me."

The redneck felt his cheeks flush and he rubbed his neck. When he thought about it he might have exaggerated a tad bit, but he wanted to think that Zack deserved it. "I-uh… maybe overreacted a little."

"You don't say. I didn't know Dixons' had a temper."

"Bite me," Daryl mumbled as he opened the door to leave.

Anyone who kept watch in the towers could see Daryl walking the perimeter with the lazy strut of his. He wanted to clear his mind and maybe try to understand why he was not only angry over what happened but almost a little hurt.


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N: **

"Hi, guys! This is Chris. I'm currently the Beta for this wonderful story. I would first and foremost thank you all for being so patient in waiting for the updates of this story. I realize it's going slow and it's mostly my fault. I Beta and comment as thorough as I can on every chapter while trying to keep up with my Academy, which has proven to be challenging. I'd like to apologize for the wait I put you guys through, as I know myself how annoying it can be. But, like I've told our dear writer, I'd rather have it slow and as thorough as I am capable than quick and sloppy. Any mistakes that can be found in this or any future chapters are surely that of mine.

Thank you!"

Now this is me Steffy…I won't add anything except please review Chris and I love reading you and Bethyl on my friends Bethyl on!

**Chapter 6:**

They had kept glancing at her as she had prepared breakfast just beside the rows of benches and tables, giving her looks as if they were trying to make something out, trying to understand something. Maggie. Herschel. After a while she had begun feeling like they all were looking at her.

By the time Carol began hanging up her second load of clean laundry, Beth looked up from the shirt she was washing with a sigh of defeat.

"Did you hear about yesterday?"

The woman chuckled faintly and turned her head a little towards Beth. "Who hasn't really? I think Noah might suffer from PTSD."

When she turned around she noticed Beth's eyes were wide and didn't have that youthful, happy glow she usually had. She looked nervous. "Oh, honey. It's fine, I promise. I'm sure most of us have already forgotten about it."

"_Most of us_?" Beth mumbled miserably.

"You're a young woman, he's a young man," Carol continued obliviously with a shrug. "Maybe your timing wasn't impeccable, but you didn't do anything wrong."

"Daryl seemed to think so," the young woman mumbled bitterly and scrubbed the shirt she was washing. Ironically it was one of Daryl's cut off flannel shirts.

"Daryl has a tendency to exaggerate these days, I wouldn't take it personally." Carol casually picked up another pair of pants and stringed it up. "I don't know what he told you, but I wouldn't read too much into it. He's been on edge with everything that's happening around the prison."

Beth stiffened, her scrubbing slacked and she was happy Carol's back was turned to her, or else she probably would have seen by her face that she was surprised. There was something they weren't telling her. Slowly starting to scrub once more, Beth couldn't help the sting it caused in her heart.

"Don't worry, he's on a run with Sasha and Tyreese. He'll come around once he's blown off some steam on a few walkers, you'll see." She chuckled. "I didn't think you liked him though, not that way anyway. I was surprised."

Beth stopped scrubbing once again and made a face. "Zack?"

Carol turned to face her. "See, if you have to ask who I'm talking about I can't help but wonder if you actually like him."

Beth sighed. "I just wanted to see if I could feel it." she admitted, looking up at Carol.

The woman frowned, letting the sheet in her hand fall back into the basket. She came to Beth's side and crouched down to her level. "Feel what sweetheart?"

Beth shrugged, feeling a little silly admitting it. "I don't know…" She fleetingly glanced at Carol. "Love, passion, desire… anything! Maggie and Glenn have it. I want to feel it, too. But I think I'm broken because when Zack kissed me I felt nothing and still my body catches fire every time I'm touched by–" Beth stopped, she had not even realized what she was about to say until the words almost left her mouth.

Suddenly realizing who she was talking to, she thought better to not mention Daryl. There were rumours about Carol and Daryl being an item, after all. What if it were true? Beth mentally grimaced; and why was this suddenly worrying her? If Carol and Daryl were dating, that would be entirely their business. In fact, no. Daryl was a douche who saw fit to treat her badly and say horrible things because it's _Daryl_, and Beth was not going to think of him or that stupid moment at the training _ever again_.

"Touched by who?" Carol asked patiently.

And as if on cue Beth's mind went right back to the moment where Daryl's calloused, warm hands glid over her arms, causing the hairs on her them to stand on end, shivers go through her spine and –

Internally Beth growled with frustration, scrubbing Daryl's flannel shirt even harder as if it somehow was going to punish him.

Carol took her silence for meekness and went back to her task.

"All I have to say honey, is that Zack is a decent enough guy, it's okay for you to not feel anything for him. You can't force yourself to feel something, and it's more than fine. You just have to let him know, don't keep him expecting something that's not there." She glanced back at Beth's silent, hunched form. "And if you found someone who can conjure the reaction you described by only touching you, I advise you to explore that possibility more and don't you let it go until you know for sure." There was something in Carol's eyes that spoke of wisdom. "In a world like this, experiencing that kind of luxury is more than most of us can claim."

Beth let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, I wish it was that easy." With a deep breath, she pressed the water out of the last shirt and let it fall into the basket with the others. "Well, I'm done. I was going to head back to the kids. Are you going to be okay with all this?"

"Of course," Carol nodded with a warm smile. "I'll hang it up and be back inside before you know it."

That elicited a gentle smile from Beth. "Thanks for everything, Carol."

"Anytime sweetheart, and don't worry too much. What's supposed to happen will happen."

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

Beth sighed contently as she walked towards her cell. She had a stock of crayons there that she had gathered for the kids.

"Hey."

With the slightest gasp, Beth halted in her step right in front of her cell and frowned when she found Zack in there. Something about his being there without her invitation bothered her. "You shouldn't be here."

He shrugged, burying his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. The redneck seemed pretty pissed off."

"_Daryl _is not that bad," she said and entered her space, squeezing passed him to reach her crayons. "He wouldn't have hurt me and don't call him that, it's not nice."

"If I had known he was really such a softie, I would have stayed, too." Zack leaned against the wall of her cell, a content look settling on his face. He didn't look like he was planning on leaving any time soon.

"Oh, no. He wouldn't have hurt me," Beth said sincerely and placed the crayons in the pocket of her knitted cardigan. "He wouldn't have thought twice about hurting you." Daryl had never hurt a living woman as far as Beth had seen. He had, however, no remorse about giving a man an upper cut if he thought they deserved it.

"Meh," Zack scoffed. "He's just jealous. He'll get over it. Don't worry about it."

The instant Beth heard what he said, she felt her cheeks warm with colour. "Daryl's not… jealous." She chuckled sheepishly. A part of her liked the idea of it. Carol's words echoed in her head again; _Zack deserves the truth._

Humming, in search of words for to say, Beth looked down at her feet. "It was a mistake."

When she sneaked a glance up at Zack she almost sighed in relief when he was nodding. Wow. That was easy.

"You're right," Zack said with conviction. "Kissing you when I'm on watch-duty was irresponsible. From now on we'll only kiss when I'm off duty."

Her mouth fell open when she realized he'd completely misunderstood what she was trying to get at. She shifted on her spot, uncomfortable with the position she'd put herself in with him. She didn't want to give him the usual "break up" lines that her friends had used; _it's not you it's me _or _I need to concentrate on myself right now_. They all seemed so vain and ridiculous, especially in the kind of world they were living in now. "No, Zack." Beth straightened her back. "I just shouldn't have let you kiss me. That was the mistake."

Zach raised his eyebrows in surprise. Beth was pretty sure it was the first time he ever got rejected by a girl, up front. "What do you mean?"

"The kiss should never have happened. It wasn't fair to you, because I don't have any feelings for you." Beth bit her lip. "I thought maybe I did, but I don't."

For a moment he was silent, watching her with hard, calculating eyes. "Did Daryl say something? Is this because of him?" His voice was strained as if he was trying to hold back, but she could hear the underlying anger.

Beth shook her head. "This has nothing to do with Daryl." _Lie. _"I just don't feel anything romantic towards you." _Truth._ "But I'd like for us to be friends."

With a sigh of defeat, Zack dramatically slapped his palm against his chest in a theatrical gesture. "The arrow of friendship. It hurts."

"Beg your pardon, but it's all I can offer." She smiled softly at him.

He returned her smile. "I was joking, friendship works fine. We can never have enough friends, right?"

"No, we can't. Especially in this time and age. See you later?"

Zack pushed himself of her wall. "You bet!"

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

"Come on, people," Daryl shouted. "We're losin' daylight!" He slapped the hood of the Hyundai, gesturing with impatience at Sasha who was walking calmly towards him with a smirk.

"Stop stressing before you give yourself wrinkles, Dixon, the sun's barely up." She circled the car to the driver side.

Daryl glared. "What d'ya say?"

"I said stop being so grumpy all the time."

"And I'll say mind ya'wn damn business, woman. The fuck's takin' them so long, anyway? Damn romance novels, ain't goin' away forever, it's just a fuckin' run. Just kiss 'em byes and let's go!"

Sasha leaned her crossed arms on top of the now open door with a disapproving look on her face. "Yeah, well, in the world we're living in, the very first step you take outside these walls could mean your death and I know you know that better than anyone. If they want an extra minute, I think they should have one."

He squinted at her with that dismissive grimace he always used when he wasn't sure about what to say. _Better than anyone, huh? _He shook his head when Merle's decaying face appeared in his mind. With a snort, he slipped into the passenger seat quickly followed by an exasperated sigh. He adjusted the crossbow between his legs. Daryl had never understood good byes, and he hated them one way or another. If the person didn't come back it would just hurt the same, anyways, good byes or not.

"Where's Ty?" Bob asked as he came to a stop by the car.

Daryl rolled his eyes with an impatient snort, jabbing the car horn twice.

"He'll be here in a sec. Just don't antagonize Daryl, please," Sasha said, sitting in the driver seat, hands on the wheel as if it was the most amazing that she'd seen for a long time. Even though she didn't know Daryl that very well, she knew he was full of surprises and he certainly took her by surprise when he let her be the driver.

Tyreese appeared a few minutes after Bob had settled in the car.

"'Bout time," Daryl drawled surly.

"Sorry, I didn't think we took so long."

"Whatever," Daryl answered. "Just get it the car. Woman, we've no time to waste."

The woman pierced Daryl with a glare. "Why are you in such a rush to come back and torture our local teens some more?" She put the car in gear and they pulled out of the prison.

There wasn't much Daryl could say to justify his irate behaviour. Obviously, they noticed something was eating at him. By the time he had walked back into the prison when he'd taken that long walk yesterday, everyone had given him all from curious, wary to angry glances. Maggie had seemed rigid towards him, too. Probably pissed he made her little sister cry. As far as Daryl was concerned, Beth needed to get thicker skin. That didn't mean he didn't feel weird and strangely bad about the situation.

After they had parked in front of the Big Spot, Sasha decided to be the one to break the silence. "So how are we doing this?"

"Want my input now?" Daryl's voice dripped with sarcasm and it made Sasha roll her eyes the slightest and Bob shift in his seat. "Never been in this place before; so we go in team. No wandering alone, got it?"

They all nodded in agreement.

"Y'all got yer list?"

Sasha showed him her piece of paper while Tyreese showed his.

"Good. You two go together. " Daryl said pointing to Sasha and Bob. "And yer with me, Romeo."

Tyreese eyebrows knitted together when Daryl walked ahead of him. "Romeo?"

Sasha shook her head as she crossed her brother's path. "Don't ask."

Crouched and slowly Daryl walked forward with his crossbow at the ready. "Don't use yer gun unless completely inevitable, got it?" He glanced with emphasis at the former army medic, their eyes locking for a moment. Daryl had seen the way Bob's hands started to shake as soon as he was too close to a walker for comfort, even if it only was one. He seemed like the nervous type and Daryl wanted to be sure Bob wasn't going to be a liability to them.

Daryl banged loudly against the window of the store. "Just give 'em a minute." He glanced over at the other three and didn't flinch when three walkers crashed against the window glass, snarling and moaning at the evidence of fresh meat.

"Let's go. " Swiftly and practiced, Daryl moved into the store with his crossbow raised to the level of his eyes. The first arrow was sent between the eyes of a female walker while the second one, dressed in a uniform with the logo of the store embroidered in it, was taken down by Sasha.

As Daryl bent slightly to the side to retrieve his arrow, the third walker saw its chance and moved towards him but met its doom when a knowing Daryl sent the hard tip of the crossbow against its skull. Everything fell silent as the last walker gave a sigh of defeat and slumped to the ground.

"Pussy," Daryl mumbled down at the creature and waved in the others.

Taking the lead he was closely followed by cart pushing Tyreese.

"Feels good to be out for once," Tyreese mumbled as he watched Daryl take some boxes of formula out of the shelf in the baby section and stocking it up in the cart. "Before all this, if someone told me I'd willingly live in a prison I would have called them crazy, you know."

Without saying anything, Daryl gave Tyreese a hard glance and kept going, narrowly followed by the cart.

"Guess we're giving the word 'institutionalized' a whole different meaning, aren't we?"

With a sigh, Daryl abruptly turned around, lowering his crossbow. Tyreese nearly walked into him. "Ain't here to make buddies, friend-o. We don't know if this place is secure yet. I watch yer back, but you gotta watch mine, too and unless you stay focused, y'ain't gonna do a good job."

Tyreese held up his hands. "Come on, man."

Daryl was just about to reply when he saw a shadow at the corner of his eye and without hesitating, twirled around, crossbow at the ready, only to meet a sight that made him frown.

"The fuck is that?"

They both found themselves staring at a life sized cardboard of women with the Hollywood look going. There was a tray in front of it, stacked with tiny boxes. Make-up.

"It's Jessica Biel," Tyreese spoke up, interrupting the silence. "Sasha used to tease me about having the hots for her."

The redneck's eyes only shifted to stare wordlessly at the taller man. "Uh-huh." People and their stupid need to share things that didn't even matter. Hell, he didn't know who the heck Jessica Biel was even, and he didn't care, neither. With a roll of his eyes he made to move past the cardboard, but just as he did his eyes caught sight of a thin, oblong glittering pink, canister standing lonely at the tray. The sight sent a wave of recognition and realization through him. It was Tyreese's hand on his shoulder that made him realize the man was trying to say something to him.

"What's got you so distracted, man? She ain't gonna hurt you."

Daryl smirked the slightest at Tyreese who only looked confused when Daryl made no move to lead the way. He nodded to the side. "Go ahead, I'll be there in a sec."

Tyreese frowned. "But you said not to wander all by our own-"

"I know what I said," Daryl mumbled and nodded. "'My rules, aren't they?"

The incredulous look Tyreese gave him only made Daryl smirk. "Go on ahead. See anything that spooks you, come right back. Or don't. Got something I need to do."

Tyreese eyed him curiously before moving towards the isle with a shrug. "Don't be long."

"Don't get eaten."

A short moment later Daryl came back and Tyreese looked up from where he was standing. Daryl saw the glint of humour spark in the man's eyes, he was clearly curious about what he'd done but he only adjusted he bag that hung on one shoulder, shaking his head with a smirk and a scoff. "Ain't none of your business, y'never realized?"

Tyreese smirked but said nothing.

"We done here?" Daryl asked.

"Got everything on the list. You done?" The spark was back in Ty's eyes. "Y'know, I could cover for you, give you some more alone time with whatever you needed us to -"

"Stop." Daryl felt some colour rush to his cheeks. He shook his head, raising his fingers to his lips. "Best start headin' back." Whistling curtly to let the others know wherever they were in the store that they were heading out, Daryl signed for Tyreese to follow him.

When they stepped outside, Daryl gave the parking lot a quick scan. A few walkers had gathered and were now slowly making their way to the store. He raised his crossbow.

"Might not have been as quiet as we thought. Get the others, we need to leave now."

Just then Sasha pushed her way out from the between the doors with a cart full.

Daryl glanced every now and then her way while still trying to keep an eye on the approaching threat.

"Where's army guy?"

Sasha nodded to the side with a tight smile as she started shuffling things into the trunk. "Told me to go ahead. He needed something."

With a growl of frustration Daryl let the crossbow fall to his side and he paced slightly. "What part of don't separate didn'tcha understand?"

Sasha shrugged as Tyreese raised an eyebrow as if to say _look who's talking_.

Daryl grunted as he marched passed them. "Jest put that shit in the car; I'll be right back with army Bob."

Crouched and in stealth mode Daryl once more entered the store. Swiftly, crossbow up and ready he checked aisle after aisle. His forehead creased with a frown when he found Bob standing by the alcohol section.

Shielded partially from view by a shelf filled with different kinds of sodas, Daryl watched the other man with curious interest. He was looking down at a bottle in his hand with the kind of longing that Daryl recognized. Something about this didn't sit right with him. "Hey," he finally called out, quiet but loud enough for Bob to hear.

With a start and a gasp, Bob twirled around, the force of it making the bottle slip out of his grasp and crash unto the floor. His eyes found Daryl in an instant. "Oh, I-… I didn't see you."

Daryl's eyes travelled down to the pieces of glass and up again at the now suddenly nervous Bob. "We're waitin' for ya."

He blinked and nodded as if he was trying to gather himself. "I'm sorry, I was just-… "

Daryl scoffed. "Yeah, I can see that. You were just." He shook his head. "We told ya before; zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs in the prison. Ya don't like it, you can leave."

Bob took a deep breath, holding his hands out as if to calm the situation. "Please, you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand ya just fine. I'd fuckin' love to get shitfaced just one last time, but in case it for some special reason – deliberate or not - had you ignore that fact, we don't have that damn privilege no more." He held up his finger and pointed it at Bob with emphasis. "If I see you doing this again, you're out. Gone. One fuckin' slip, Bob. Understand?"

Bob just looked down at his shoes.

"Ya heard me? I asked you a question!"

Bob nodded.

"Good, now let's go."

What then in reality happened in the span of a few seconds, seemed to take place in slow motion.

The first clue that they were approaching was the noise; the moaning, the gasping and shuffling. The second clue was the smell that you never quite got used to; rotting, decaying flesh. The intensity of the smell and the noise was the last clue that sent a shiver down Daryl's spine; they were many.

"Fuck." They must have heard the bottle crashing against the ground, alerting them of someone near.

Bob's eyes widened when he saw the first walker come out from an aisle. As soon as it set its eyes on him, it stretched out its hands towards him, stretching out its black and deadly jaws, gasping with desperate feral longing for fresh meat. With panic, Bob fumbled with the gun in his belt, hands shaking and heart racing. When he finally got it up and took a shot, the bullet sailed right passed the walker, missing its target entirely.

"Told you not to shoot, stupid fuck! Come on!" Growling with frustration, Daryl sent an arrow into a nearing walker and ran forward, grabbing the fabric of Bob's shirt to drag him away. A piercing cold feeling gathered quickly in Daryl's stomach when suddenly Bob gave out a strong screech of pain.

Neither of them had seen the ankle-biter that had sunk its teeth into Bob's now bleeding ankle. It dug its dirty black fingers into Bob's calf and ripped away a chunk of tendons with its teeth.

"Fuck!" Daryl swore and tried to pull the screaming Bob away. Bob was clutching Daryl's arm, holding on to him for dear life but Daryl knew he was already gone. Bob sobbed when he felt additional hands clutching at his already injured leg.

"No," he sobbed when he felt himself being pulled back and shrieked when another set of teeth sunk into his flesh. "Please."

"Come on!" Daryl heard Tyreese yelling directly from behind him, but Daryl couldn't move. He swallowed, taking a step back and let the rough fabric of Bob's shirt slip through his fingers. He watched as another walked sunk its teeth into Bob's throat. Another member of his group… How many would he watch die before it was his turn?

"Daryl," Tyreese tried again, his voice clouded with weariness. "We can't wait any longer."

Finally he ripped his eyes away from Bob who's screaming had sunk down into whimpers of pain. He met Tyreese' hard stare when he passed him and together they exited.

"Where's Bob?" Sasha was seated on the driver side, the engine was already running. She bent forward with a frown etched between her eyebrows as if she was expecting Bob to stand behind one of them.

Jumping into the passenger seat, he looked into Sasha's eyes and he knew he didn't have to confirm what he knew she already was suspecting. When he shook his head curtly, Sasha swallowed and turned her eyes forward. Her foot pressed against the pedal and kept her eyes forward, her jaws clenched.

The drive back was mostly spent in silence. It wasn't the comfortable kind of silence. This silence hung heavy over them like heavy weights on their shoulders and it was hard to breath. They all sensed that something needed to be said but none of them knew what. Sasha had hardly looked away from the road ever since she started driving.

"It ain't your fault." Daryl's voice was dark and raspy, heavy with his own guilt. "Can't beat yourself up because a grown man made his choice, even if it was a stupid ass decision."

Sasha chuckled bitterly, never taking her eyes of the road. "I must really look like shit if Daryl Dixon is trying to make me feel better."

Daryl couldn't help the tugging at the corner of his mouth to that.

"I'll be okay," she sighed, nodding slightly. "I'll just need time."

He knew better than to trust something like time in such a manner. Time was after all what rewrote them all. The more time they spent in this world – whether they wanted it or not – was eventually going to change them all the way to the core.

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

It was the current variation in her schedule that made Beth appreciate her afternoons with the kids that much more.

Max had refused to nap and had insisted instead upon telling her how he'd spent the morning with his mother in the garden, helping her pick up tomatoes. When Max' mother, Jen finally came to pick her son up, Beth felt like she'd run a marathon. She was spent.

Beth knew she didn't have much time until dinner needed to be prepared, but she wanted to relax and read through a book about children psychology she'd found, and maybe get a small shut-eye. She shuffled, exhausted into her cell and sagged into her bunk. "Ouch!" she groaned when something hard jabbed against her head.

With confusion she stared down at her pillow. It was just her pillow. Unless...

Leaning back, she half imagined a spider or something, anything that would jump on her reside underneath her pillow. Gently she tugged it away and was met with a sight that made her mouth fall open and then stretch into a smile. Almost like she was touching china, Beth gently picked up the pink nail polish. Her eyes eagerly darted over to a thin tube of lip gloss and a pink bottle with a picture of strawberries all over the front. Who…?

There was a dirty piece of paper lying against the sheet of her bunk. She picked it up and knew in an instant who wrote it when she saw the crooked, sloppy handwriting;

"_not sure bowt the color. culdnt find any coconut but strawberry seems fine enough. dont use it all at once. happy late birthday. D."_

Releasing a soft giggle, Beth pressed the piece of paper against her chest, staring down at the items he'd gathered to her with amazement. Beth wondered for a moment why he would do something like this but knew deep down this was his way of making peace with her. He was _apologizing._

She was surprised he remembered what she'd blurted out in that stupid rant of hers. Hell, she couldn't remember what she'd said.

Beth brushed her thumb over the handwriting, smudging the lines the slightest. When she thought she had Daryl figured out he went and did something completely unexpected, something so unlike what she thought about him and it made her realize she had to revaluate everything again.

"Daryl Dixon", Beth whispered as if she wanted to try the words on her lips. Her lips stretched into a soft smile as she realized she wanted to be around him, to see what else this strange man could surprise her with.


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N: Hey guys! **

**I know surprise! We updated way ahead of schedule! You can thank Chris who busted her butt to get this one out so early. So what do we say? Thanks Chris! **

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**Steffy2106**

**Chapter 7**:

Running – even on just a few hours of sleep – was suddenly not as hard as it used to be. Especially not with the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins. Beth had gone up from bed earlier that day despite how difficult it had been for her to fall asleep. Her mind had been stirring with thoughts.

She'd tried to tell herself not to read too much into it but would just come right back to the same question. _Why?_ Why would Daryl even bother? Beth had hoped on talking to him the night they had come back but decided against it when she realized four had left the prison, but only three came back. Something had happened to Bob.

Sasha had gone right into her cell without saying much to anyone and Tyreese had reported to Rick while Daryl had gone to circle the perimeter with Maggie.

Loosing people wasn't a singularity anymore, but it didn't keep a certain heavy atmosphere from hanging over the prison for a few days.

The young woman sighed deeply when she came to a stop by her cell after having jogged up and down several metal stairs in the quiet, less habituated block of the prison. Collecting the shower items she needed as quickly as possible without waking Jude, she made her way for the showers and took a deep breath, realizing she was going to have to walk by Daryl's cell to reach her destination.

When she got closer, she walked slower. Beth peered shamelessly through the small gap of the drape hanging over the opening. Even though it was dark, she could see there was no one sitting on the bunk bed or lying on the blankets spread out over the floor. Beth frowned. Did he ever sleep?

The young woman had showered several times ever since they had moved into the prison, but this time it was special. This time showering was closer to heaven than anything Beth had experienced before. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime Beth was spoiled by riches of the most wonderful sweet scent in the world, and it seemed to shield her from all the worries and the knowledge of the threats of death and pain outside the prison walls. After having dragged her fingers through her hair, she let her arm hang by her sides, focusing on the water simply running from the top of her head down her body.

The smile still remained on her face when she tip-toed on her way back, and just when she was about to enter her cell, Daryl appeared from the shadows, probably returning from the fence check. It looked like he flinched when his eyes fell on her, his step faltered as if he hadn't expected her to be there. After a few seconds his face gradually softened.

"Hey," she whispered

"Hey," he replied with a raspy voice, averting his eyes and seemingly looked everywhere but at her. Suddenly she was aware of her damp hair hanging down her left shoulder. Had he ever seen her with her hair worn down? "Was just tourin' the block 'fore going for my watch. You're up early. E'rythin alright?" Finally, he sneaked a careful, modest glance at her.

"M-hm," Beth nodded sweetly. "I was lookin' for you actually."

She took a step back into her cell and turned around to dump her clothes on her bed. "Didn't you just come back from checking the fences?" When she faced him again, Daryl was leaning against the frame of her cell opening, hands in his pockets.

He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Beth's lips were gently tugged into a straight line. _Couldn't or didn't want to? _"You okay?"

He shifted his weight to his other foot. "How's Lil' Asskicker?"

Despite his avoiding her question, Beth chuckled gently and quietly, glancing down at the sleeping, in tucked Judith. "She's the best." She touched the edge of Judith's crib and looked up at Daryl whose eyes was resting on the snoring baby.

"Thank you."

His eyes darted to hers. "For what?"

She simply tilted her head at him, giving him a gentle smile.

Colour rushed up to his cheeks. He looked down at his feet and nodded with another shrug. "Don't mention it." Daryl chewed on his lip as he sneaked another glance at her. He swallowed. "Hell, I'm… sorry. For what I said the other day. I- uh…" Uncomfortable with the position he'd put himself in, he rubbed his neck.

At that moment it became too much to hold in. Beth didn't realize what she was doing until her arms were wrapped around Daryl's strong waist and her face was buried in his chest. The man stiffened. His arms froze into their place and his breathing even seemed to subside.

Beth sighed against the comfortable warmth his chest was providing and closed her eyes when she felt a gentle hand rest against her elbow. He wasn't pushing her away.

Daryl looked down at the blonde hair, propped underneath his chin and the alluring, sweet smell of strawberries filled his nostrils. Beth's arms around him, her lithe body against his like this didn't at all feel intrusive. It felt nice and strangely comforting. He allowed himself to put one hand on the small of her back, pressing her the slightest against him.

Beth tightened her arms around him. "You okay?" she asked again, her words a mere whisper.

He swallowed. "Just tired of loosin' people."

Beth pursed her lips to hold back a sigh. "Me too."

When he finally allowed himself to place his other hand with a featherlike touch against the base of her neck, Beth pulled away, easing her hold around him only a little but not completely. Beth turned her face up to look at him. "Thank you," she said again but with conviction this time. "It was the nicest thing anyone's given me in a long time."

He shrugged, but if Beth wasn't completely mistaken she could see a hint of a blush spreading over his cheeks. "Ain't nothin'. Was just standing there, thought wrong not to bring it," he mumbled, eyes flicking to focus on something behind her. He scoffed almost unnoticeably as he remembered the ordeal.

As soon as Tyreese had disappeared, Daryl had grabbed the light pink lip-gloss – at least he thought it was pink - from the tray and buried it in his jeans pocket. Since the lights in the store were completely out, everything had been engulfed in a dusk like darkness and determining colours had been difficult. _Fuck_, he had thought. If she missed some stupid, disgusting grease-like goo that apparently was supposed to be applied to the lips, she'd better not be picky about the damn colour.

When he had turned around with the intention of getting back to Tyreese he had caught sight of the shampoo aisle. _What the fuck is wrong with women?_ he had thought while scanning the bottles, noting the different qualities the packages claimed they had. Shampoos with different perfumes, shampoos for different types of hair; for frizzy hair, for long hair, for greasy hair, for damaged hair. Hell, there even had been for dyed hair.

"They hell they need all this for?" he had mumbled incredulously. A shampoo was either good or it wasn't. It either cleaned your head or it didn't. What if she didn't like what he got her because it wasn't the right kind? When he had thought his eyes were going to curl into his skull with confusion and decision-agony, he had stretched out a hand and picked the first thing he reached; a pink bottle with strawberries on it. Swiftly he had slipped it into the pocket of his vest and gone back to Tyreese.

He flicked his thumb through the wet strands of hair behind her ear. "Ain't like I ran out for that reason, anyway."

"Still," she said, unaffected by his words. Before she would have thought he was being surly and unpleasant, but right now she understood not to mistake Daryl's evasion for anything but bashfulness.

He shifted when he suddenly realized they were standing in plain sight for anyone who decided to take this route. A quick streak of panic went through him. People were going to wake up very soon. What the hell was he doing hugging her like this? Releasing her, he reached behind him and tugged her arms away. Beth reluctantly let go and was just about to say something when a familiar gurgling noise came from the crib.

She twirled around. "Aw, Jude," she cooed down at the smiling infant. "Good morning to you." She took the baby into her arms and turned towards Daryl only to realize he'd gone. There was no sign of him.

If it hadn't been for the scent lingering in her nostrils, Beth would have almost thought she imagined it all.

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

"Knock, knock."

Daryl looked up from where he was sitting on his bunk, back leaned against the wall to find Carol leaning against the frame of his cell door with a steaming plate in her hand.

"You didn't come for lunch, I brought you some food." She walked in and put the plate on the wooden case by the foot of the bunk.

"Busy," he mumbled with a dark voice, looking down at the arrows on his lap and in his hands as if to demonstrate.

"Arrows can't wait?"

He shrugged without looking up. "Thanks for the food."

The woman watched him carefully. She leaned back against the wall. "Why are you here sulking, Daryl?"

He stiffened, eyes still trained on his arrow for a moment. "Ain't sulking."

"Daryl..."

"Just ain't any reason to ask my opinion if y'all are already pent up on ignorin' it. Just leave me be."

"This is about this week's planning during the meeting, isn't it?" He felt himself flush at how quickly Carol had hit home and he didn't like the knowing sound of her voice.

Without saying anything his eyes flicked up to lock with hers for a moment before he looked down again.

"I know Rick isn't perfect," she continued. "None of us are. You know I value your opinion just as much as anyone else's, you would be just as good a leader as him." He sensed there was a _but_ coming. Carol sat down on the chair standing near against the wall, smiling tightly at him. "But I'm not sure your anger is justified here."

He frowned and met her eyes again, refusing to look away this time. "What do you mean not justified? Think I'm wrong?" He waved his arrows at her as he spoke. "I told Rick I don't trust College Boy. Told him he shouldn't put him with people who can't stand as defence if need be. And what does Rick do?" Daryl scoffed. "He put that boy on kid's duty, that's what!"

"Just ask yourself," Carol crossed her arms softly. "Why do you think you don't trust Zack? If you have a valid reason, I'll listen, like always." Her eyes bounced between his. "But you need to come to terms with whether this is about something you feel about Zack or something you feel about Beth."

He visibly stiffened and Carol saw his adam apple bob as he swallowed. Suddenly he looked nervous. "The hell you talkin' 'bout, woman?" He held her eyes for a moment before a scowl etched between his eyebrows and he shook his head, concentrating once more on his arrows. "She's just a girl."

"She's not _just a girl_ anymore, Daryl. She's a beautiful, young woman and it's not wrong of you to have noticed that."

Panic started to grow in his chest. He needed to get out. "I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout. I'm not in the mood for any of yer games." He said straight up and gathered the arrows into the green quiver. "Just go on and do whatever it was you were supposed to before ya came in here." He gestured with his arm towards the opening.

Carol frowned with disapproval, straightening her back and raised her chin defiantly. "You can't tell me what to do, Daryl." She ignored the quizzical look he gave her. "You're my best friend. I know you. I love you."

She smiled when he flushed. He probably prayed right now to face a hoard of walkers if it meant he could avoid having any form of discussion where Beth and feelings were involved. "Do you think I haven't noticed the glances you give her when you think nobody's looking? You can keep pretending, but we both know what the truth is here. You've never been this protective over any woman before, not even when Lori was pregnant. You just have to admit it and do something about it, because the way it's going right now is not healthy."

Carol pushed herself to her feet, but before she left she paused a small moment, hand resting against the top bunk. "For what it's worth, I think you'll want to know she pushed him away. She never told me the reason, but I think you have a good idea of what it could be."

It felt like several minutes had gone before he tore his eyes away from his lap and stared at the spot she had been standing at. Had Beth really rejected Zack? And if she had, could it really be for h-

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a loud noise, sounding much like a shot firing echoed through the prison walls. Daryl's blood turned to ice when a sharp but very much familiar scream followed directly after it.

Worry, fear, stress all came down at him but Daryl pushed it all away to clear his mind as he threw the quiver over his shoulder and grabbed the crossbow from the ground. He set off on a run, as fast as he could towards the source of the sound, praying he wouldn't be too late.

"Beth!"


End file.
